Shogi
by englishteacups
Summary: Shikamaru finds out that there's more to Shogi than perfect strategies. Now, he has to cook up the perfect strategy to "checkmate" his girl's heart. ShikaHina. R
1. The First Move

_**A/N: I DON"T OWN NARUTO.**_

**SHOGI**

**Chapter 1 The First Move**

It was just another ordinary day in Konoha. Shikamaru, along with Chouji, were walking their way to the BBQ shop nearby until a piece of paper flew in front of Shikamaru's face.

"What the--" Shikamaru mumbled as he removed the paper out of his face. "What's this?"

"Hey!" Chouji said as he read the paper. "Konoha's finally having a Shogi contest!"

"A what?" Shikamaru asked as he also read the paper.

"A Shogi contest." Chouji repeated. "You know, the board game you and teacher Asuma play all the time."

"Oh, right." Shikamaru nodded.

Then, he continued reading the paper. This is what was written on it:

**COME AND WITNESS THE TRUE MEANING OF SHOGI!!**

**JOIN THE FIRST EVER:**

**KONOHA SHOGI CONTEST**

**OPEN FOR AGES 12-15**

**TOMORROW AT 1:30 PM**

**PRIZE: 10,000 YEN FOR EACH OF THE WINNERS OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS DIVISION**

**APPROACH THE OFFICE OF THE FIFTH HOKAGE FOR FURTHER DETAILS**

**MISS THIS EVENT AND YOU'LL MISS A NEW ERA OF YOUR LIFE.**

**JOIN NOW!**

"What did those Konoha officials have eaten to facilitate a contest like that?" Shikamaru said as he gave the paper to Chouji. "That contest is just a waste of time."

"Aren't you interested, Shikamaru?" Chouji asked him. "Didn't I just say that it was a Shogi contest?"

"Not really." Shikamaru told him. "I'd rather watch the clouds."

"But you're good at Shogi!" Chouji cried out, not believing his friend. "You've got a great chance to win the prize of ten thousand yen!"

"Chouji, I'm not interested." Shikamaru glared at him. "Let's go to the BBQ store now. I'm starving!"

"Yeah," Chouji agreed as he followed him. "Me too!"

As soon as the two friends reached the BBQ shop, Chouji felt that he has to convince his friend in joining the competition. He knew his friend needed the prize. He just has to make the perfect scheme in making him join. If only he knew what to do.

"What would you boys have for today?" the cook asked them.

"I would like to have a pork barbeque." Chouji said.

"And I'll have the Yankiku please." Shikamaru added.

"A pork barbeque and Yankiku coming right up!" the cook yelled as he rushed to the kitchen.

As soon as the cook left, Chouji decided to talk to his friend about what happened a while ago.

"Shikamaru, are you sure you don't want to join?" Chouji asked again.

"I'm sure, Chouji." Shikamaru told him. "Besides, tomorrow's a good day for cloud watching. I wouldn't want to miss it."

"Life's not always about cloud watching." Chouji said. "Sometimes, you've got to get up to see what's in store for you."

"I know." Shikamaru nodded. "But I got other plans to do with my life and none of them is to join that contest."

"But--" Chouji stuttered.

"Enough of that!" Shikamaru cut his sentence. "The cook's coming."

"Here you go!" the cook said as he gave their orders. "A pork barbeque for the healthy kid and a Yankiku for the ponytailed boy."

"Thanks!" the two friends said as they were about to feast on their meals.

"Oops! Wait a minute there, fellas!" the cook stopped them. "You've got to pay first. The pork barbeque costs 57 yen and the Yankiku costs 100 yen."

"What!?" Shikamaru shrieked. "100 yen!?"

"It's Korean barbeque, kid!" the cook told him. "What do you expect?"

"Darn," Shikamaru mumbled. "All I have is 85 yen."

"I'll pay that for you." Chouji told him. "But you have to join the contest to pay me back."

"What? No way!" Shikamaru shook his head.

"So you're doing their dishes to pay them back?" Chouji said as he handed his payment. "Fine, suit yourself."

"Wait!" Shikamaru stopped him. "Fine, I'll join the contest. Just pay my food so that I won't owe them a thing."

"Just as I thought you said." Chouji snickered as he paid both of their meals.

As soon as they finished eating, they went straight to the Fifth Hokage's office to register. While they were walking…

"I don't get you, Chouji." Shikamaru told him. "Why do you want me to join in the first place?"

"It's for your own good, buddy!" Chouji said. "Just trust me, okay?"

"Whatever." Shikamaru shrugged. "All I see is that tomorrow will be very troublesome for me."

"Is there even a day not troublesome for you, eh Shikamaru?" Chouji shook his head as he gave a look at him. "You tell me that all the time."

Shikamaru just placed his hands in his pockets and said nothing, pretending he didn't hear Chouji.

"Let's just go to Master Tsunade's office." Shikamaru muttered. "Before I change my mind of paying you back, Chouji."

Once they reached the office of the Fifth Hokage, they went inside to see Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage herself.

"Shikamaru! Chouji!" Tsunade greeted them. "Come in!"

"Good day, Master Tsunade!" they bowed.

"What brings you here?" Tsunade asked. "If you're looking for missions, there aren't any yet. Almost everyone's pretty busy with the Shogi contest."

"Shikamaru here wants to join the contest, Master Tsunade!" Chouji said as he pushed his friend in front of the Fifth. "He is pretty good in that game. Did I mention that he would always beat teacher Asuma everytime they would play it?"

"I see." Tsunade nodded as she gave Shikamaru the registration form. "Just write your name and sign."

Shikamaru did as what she said. He read all the other contestants' names. He was surprised by the numerous people who would like to participate.

"All of you boys are joining as well, Shikamaru." Tsunade told him as she got the form. "Except Chouji, that is."

"Who signed in for the girls division, Master Tsunade?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hmm…" Tsunade mumbled as she flipped the papers to find the girls' registration form. "Ahh, here it is! It seems like Sakura's joining and as well as Ino and Tenten. In your batch, I guess Chouji and Hinata are the only ones who aren't joining."

"It seems like almost everyone's joining, Shikamaru." Chouji said. "You'd better be good."

"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded. Then, he turned to Tsunade. "See you at the contest, Master Tsunade."

"You too!" Tsunade said. "Good luck, Shikamaru."

"Thank you, Master Tsunade." Shikamaru bowed as they left.

As soon as they left the office, they decided to go to the meadows. The minute they got there, they saw Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai sitting on the grass and playing Shogi.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted as he waved at the newcomers. "Look who just came by."

"You guys playing Shogi?" Chouji asked.

"I never see you four playing that game before." Shikamaru said.

"That's because we're practicing, genius." Naruto glared at them. "You got a problem with that?"

"It just happens that it isn't our pastime." Sai added as he smiled. "This time, we're all playing serious to beat the heck out of you."

"Yeah!" Naruto stood up. "Go tell him, Sai!"

"You're not the only person who's good at Shogi…" Sai continued. Then suddenly, he changed his voice into a high pitched one, resembling a girl's voice. "…SHIKAKUN!!"

Hearing that, everyone laughed. Except Shikamaru.

"Stop calling me Shikakun!!" Shikamaru fumed in anger. "The name's Shikamaru!!"

Out of nowhere, Tenten appeared, running to her friends. It seems like she has something good to say.

"Hey y'all!" Tenten yelled. "Hinata's finally joining the contest!"

"Hinata?" Shikamaru muttered.

"Alright, Hinata!" Naruto cheered. "I'm so glad she finally decided to join!"

"And I heard that she's pretty good." Tenten added. "Whenever she plays Shogi with Neji, she always wins. And Neji's a very good Shogi player as well."

"Really?" Sakura gasped. "Well, I guess it's not easy to win with Hinata in the game now."

"Beating Neji in Shogi is the same as beating Shikakun." Sai said.

"What did you just call me!?" Shikamaru glared.

"Stop it, you two!" Sasuke told them. "We're here to practice, not fight."

"We're leaving, anyway." Shikamaru told them as he pulled Choji by his side. "I'll just see you at the contest tomorrow."

The two friends rushed to the other side of the meadows and went cloud watching.

"You're not practicing despite of all the pressure?" Chouji asked him. "You must be very confident."

"I never wanted to join in the first place." Shikamaru reminded him. "I'm only joining to pay you."

"Well, you've got to win to get the money." Chouji told him. "It's the only way."

"I must admit," Shikamaru said as he looked at the sky. "Neji is a very strategic person."

"I agree." Chouji nodded. "It's unbelievable that Hinata could actually beat him in Shogi."

"Hinata must be good to beat someone as smart as Neji." Shikamaru said.

"I think you should practice with her." Chouji suggested. "If you can beat her, you'll beat Neji as well."

"I'm sure Hinata's training with Neji right now." Shikamaru told him. "The Hyuuga clan must be very eager to win the contest."

"Let's just check out what she's doing." Chouji said. "If she's busy doing something else, then we'll be going."

"Okay," Shikamaru agreed as he stood up. "I guess a visit wouldn't hurt."


	2. Check & Mate

**_A/N: I DON'T OWN NARUTO._**

**SHOGI**

**Chapter 2 Check & Mate**

After the conversation, Shikamaru and Chouji left the meadows and went to the Hyuuga mansion to see Hinata. While they were on their way, Chouji noticed that his friend looked so tense that he'd seem to faint. He was surprised, because he rarely sees Shikamaru loose his cool.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" Chouji said as he gave Shikamaru a pat in the back. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? What?" Shikamaru mumbled as he woke up to reality. "Oh, Chouji! I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Chouji double-checked. "Because you look like you're about to faint."

"I-I do?" Shikamaru stuttered. "Y-you're kidding, right?"

"No, really!" Chouji told him. "And now, you're stuttering."

"I-I am?" Shikamaru stuttered again. "Umm… Yeah, I am now, huh? Well, I'm just nervous about the contest and all. Never mind me, Chouji. I'm okay."

"Is that about the contest?" Chouji asked. "Or is that about Hinata?"

"A-about H-Hinata!?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrow. "W-what d-does s-she h-have t-to d-do w-with t-this?"

"Well, that was the first time you stuttered a sentence." Chouji mocked him. "And did I just say Hinata's name when I asked a while ago?"

"That's just stupid!" Shikamaru yelled as he tried to keep his sanity. "What now if I'm stuttering, anyway?"

"You know, you'd better keep your act up straight." Chouji warned him. "Because if you start acting like crazy, I might think that you're officially in love with the Hyuuga heiress."

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru turned red. "I… I'm not in love with anyone!"

"Tell that to your crimson red face, lover boy!" Chouji grinned.

"Stop that, Chouji!" Shikamaru ordered. "You're doing that on purpose!"

"Oh yeah?" Chouji challenged him. "Is falling in love even on purpose, huh Shikamaru?"

"How should I know if I'm not even feeling that yet?" Shikamaru answered.

"Oh, but you'll know later." Chouji said as he gave a bigger grin.

"Get a life, Chouji." Shikamaru sighed. "Sometimes, I think you're overdoing it."

"Heh, I'm only trying to be a friend." Chouji told him. "I'd do anything to know what's on your heart, even if I have to overdo it."

Shikamaru was speechless when he learned that Chouji was only trying to help. He knew that he was lucky to have someone like him as his best friend. Now, with Chouji's help, he knew the reason why he was so tense… so tense to see Hinata. Sure, he knew he was a genius. But even without anyone's help, he'd never thought…

…That he was actually falling for Hinata Hyuuga.

Once they saw the mansion, they were stupefied to see how big it was. They went inside to see if they can train with the clan's heiress.

"What brings you to these parts?" a long-haired boy wearing a white sweater asked.

"Hi Neji!" Chouji greeted him. "We're here to see Hinata. Is she training with you for the Shogi contest?"

"Actually, she's not here." Neji told them. "She went to teacher Kurenai's house. She mentioned something about playing with teacher Asuma there."

"She's playing Shogi with teacher Asuma?" Shikamaru asked in disbelief. "That's a surprise."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Maybe that's the reason why I can't beat her whenever we play Shogi."

"Thanks for your time, Neji." Shikamaru said as he grabbed Chouji. "We'll be going!"

"Yeah, whatever." Neji said.

Shikamaru rushed to teacher Kurenai's house as he pulled Chouji to hurry. He seems pretty excited to see all of them.

"What's with the rush?" Chouji panted. "Why are we running?"

"I have to see them play." Shikamaru told him. "It must be a pretty good fight."

"Geez, what unbelievable mood swings!" Chouji snickered. "First you're tense, then you're angry at me, then you're so excited to see them play! What happened to you?"

"Less talking, more running!' Shikamaru told his friend.

As soon as they reached Kurenai's house, Shikamaru opened the door, excited to see his teacher Asuma and teacher Kurenai.

"Hi everyone!" Shikamaru greeted as he entered. "Long time, no see!"

"Shikamaru, my man!" Asuma stood up as he gave his favorite student a high-five. "Good thing you came here!"

"Actually, he's here to see Hinata, teacher Asuma." Chouji interrupted. "Is she here?"

"Hinata?" Asuma muttered. "Oh, right! I just played Shogi with her. She's inside."

"Who won?" Shikamaru asked him.

"She did." Asuma sulked. "She's almost as good as you, Shikamaru."

"Can I play with her?" Shikamaru asked.

"Sure!" Asuma agreed. "Come, follow me!"

Shikamaru and Chouji followed their teacher. They saw Hinata fidgeting with her fingers as shs stared at the Shogi board. When she saw Shikamaru and Chouji enter the room, she stood up and greeted both of them.

"Hi Chouji! Hi Shikamaru!" Hinata smiled. "What are you two doing here?"

"I was wondering if, well…" Shikamaru said. "…if I can play Shogi with you for today."

"Why didn't you say so?" Hinata said as she arranged the Shogi pieces in front of her. "I'd be happy to play, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru took his seat and played his pastime with Hinata. This was the first time he played Shogi with a girl. He gave his best to win against the girl, but the girl knew how to play the game as well. Hinata successfully eliminated all of Shikamaru's defenses. But Shikamaru was not to be fooled by her great antics. He went through Hinata's ultimate move but Hinata was good enough to stop him from getting her checked. Alas, the game ended up in a stalemate.

"Unbelievable!" Asuma rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "That was just the greatest Shogi battle I have ever seen!"

"You are a pretty good Shogi player, Shikamaru." Hinata told her opponent. "I think you're better that my cousin."

"Y-you think so?" Shikamaru stammered. "Y-you're pretty good too!"

"Yeah," she giggled. "This was the first time I had a stalemate with anyone. You're good."

"Eh, thanks!" Shikamaru scratched his back.

"Do you want to grab shakes at the store nearby?" Hinata asked him. "I'll treat you!"

"Umm… sure!" Shikamaru nodded. "Hey Chouji, wanna come?"

"Nah, you go." Chouji grinned. "But I'll tell you something."

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked as he went closer to his friend.

"What'd I tell you?" Chouji whispered. "Sometimes, there's more to Shogi than just strategies. Now, you've got to cook the right strategy to checkmate that girl's heart at the right place."

"Heh, I just had the perfect plan." Shikamaru grinned as he went out with Hinata.

Since that day, Hinata and Shikamaru played the game they both liked all day. Both of them won the first Shogi contest in Konoha and they had been sent to Osaka to represent their village in the nationals. Also, Shikamaru had the chance to pay his debt to Chouji. Not bad for a happy ending, eh?

THE END


End file.
